Don't just meet demand - shape it!
Whatever sector you’re in and whether you have a product or service to sell, the world of sales has changed fundamentally and with it buyer behaviour.
If you want to stay ahead of your competitors and protect your margins, it’s vital to understand this evolution. Consider the impact of:
Information overload with answers to critical questions readily available resulting in time-starved savvy buyers.
Customers who are risk-averse as budgets reduce and the demands to deliver increase.
Price sensitive buyers and sellers - eroding margins, profitability and confidence.
So the crucial question is how do you engage with your customers – early – before they’ve even entered the buying process? How do you increase your win rates – fast – in a commodity based marketplace without reducing your prices?
Anyone can do more of what they've always done. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and leave the traditional sales approach behind. Start to help your customers create their buying vision and shape demand.
Related topics
Better to be different
Setting yourself apart from your competitors
Curiosity
Engaging in your customer’s world
Selling or Buying?
The Power of Why
Getting people to do things differently
Focusing on the positives
Reap what you sow
Cultivating the mind-set for sales growth
About Cathy Bennett
Cathy is passionate about sales; working with ambitious businesses to help them transform their operation and achieve aspirational sales growth.
Cathy blends creativity and commercial acumen with hands on insight to build confidence to bring about behavioural change & motivate her audience to do things differently.
Cathy blends creativity and commercial acumen with hands on insight to build confidence to bring about behavioural change & motivate her audience to do things differently.
A selection of events
In recent years
Alain Charles Publishing
International Sales Conference
Dubai, 2011Briggs equipment
Capital asset finance sales
Midlands, 2014Storm Procurement
International Procurement & Global Supply
Ascot, 2015Warwick Business School Host Programme
Warwick, 2010Atrium, Lighting Design & Supply
Sales Conferences
London, 2012, 2013, 2016Start Change Conference
Cambridge, 2011BITA AGM
Warwick, 2009What’s stopping you?
Business Link Women’s Conference
London, 2009NACCO, International Dealer Conferences
Holland, 2004
Lisbon, 2005
Key Insights
Topics are tailored to fit each event/audience. Read the revelations that delegates took away from previous events that will drive behavioural and performance change.
Negotiation:
“There’s lots of ways to meet a customer’s budget before you reduce your margin - before this I would always have gone straight to margin. The finance deal structuring exercise was fantastically put together.”
“There’s lots of ways to meet a customer’s budget before you reduce your margin - before this I would always have gone straight to margin. The finance deal structuring exercise was fantastically put together.”
Confidence/Motivation:
"The programme was like an umbilical cord for me; it gave me back my confidence, ability and self-belief" “I've now got much more confidence in my own ability which has been facilitated by exploring my successes.”
"The programme was like an umbilical cord for me; it gave me back my confidence, ability and self-belief" “I've now got much more confidence in my own ability which has been facilitated by exploring my successes.”
Differentiation:
“We’ve been participating in business we wouldn’t have been before the training. One of our sales managers told me recently that he had got through to the next round in a tender process as a direct result.”
“We’ve been participating in business we wouldn’t have been before the training. One of our sales managers told me recently that he had got through to the next round in a tender process as a direct result.”
Focus on the Positives:
“The idea of looking at our successes rather than the usual problems and issues was a pivotal moment for me in helping to change the perception of our department. It was a quick win for both team culture and my own mind-set.”
“The idea of looking at our successes rather than the usual problems and issues was a pivotal moment for me in helping to change the perception of our department. It was a quick win for both team culture and my own mind-set.”
Financial Sales:
“It has increased my understanding of what's financially important from the customer's perspective.”
“It has increased my understanding of what's financially important from the customer's perspective.”
The Power of Why:
“The Why-How-What approach to introducing our business to my customers really made me think and I recognise I will need to fundamentally change my approach to inspire people to choose us as their partner of choice.”
“The Why-How-What approach to introducing our business to my customers really made me think and I recognise I will need to fundamentally change my approach to inspire people to choose us as their partner of choice.”
Strategy:
“Thank you so much for a really inspirational day with us; I learned a lot and really liked your case study approach to helping us think through sales strategically.”
“Thank you so much for a really inspirational day with us; I learned a lot and really liked your case study approach to helping us think through sales strategically.”